(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Will It Brew: White Avens Root (Geum canadense) [1] ['View Profile', 'Greg Dworkin'] Date: 2026-04-25 Will It Brew: White Avens Root (Geum canadense) Foraged in April, Northern Ohio, USA This is another in my “Will It Brew?” series, exploring wild plants through the lens of tea, broth, and flavor. Thanks for following along! Found: In a patch along the edge of my yard in a mostly untended place under mulberry trees. Look for white avens in disturbed areas that are partly shaded or in wooded areas. I’ve often picked the early leaves for salads or cooked greens in the spring. White avens grows low at first, with soft green leaves, and then sends up taller stems later in the season. The flower is a simple white one on a long, thin stem. Mine was a well-established patch, easy to dig from without taking too much from any one spot. ID Notes: A small woodland plant with divided, somewhat strawberry-like leaves and modest white flowers later in the season. The roots form a small central crown, sort of a “button”, with many thin rootlets branching out. That central crown is the part most often used. When freshly dug, it can sometimes have a faint clove-like scent, though it may be subtle. The clove scent was what I was looking for. I’ve read that early spring and late fall are the best times to dig the root to brew, so I hoped I was catching it early enough in the spring to have the clove flavor all the books mention. Traditionally, the roots lent their clove flavoring to ale and winter cooking. Preparation: I dug several plants and focused on the small central “button” of the root, trimming away the thin side rootlets. Each button was about the size and shape of a pencil eraser or a bit larger. They were washed, trimmed, and washed again, though they still held onto some dirt, as roots tend to do. I sliced the buttons into small pieces. Within an hour, the slices had turned quite dark. I dried them on a cupboard shelf for two days until fully crisp. To brew, I used all of the dried pieces from about six small roots in roughly 4 cups of water. I simmered them covered for 15 minutes. Finding the flavor still very light, I simmered another 15 minutes, then left it to steep on the turned-off burner for about an hour because I had to run out unexpectedly. By the time I returned, it had cooled and steeped further. Cold Brew: Didn’t try it. This feels like a plant that needs heat and time to give up whatever it has. Hot Tea: The color developed into a reddish-brown, rather cloudy tea. The scent was faint at first, just “root,” but after the long steep it deepened into something more pleasant, warm and brown, almost like a mild black tea. The taste followed that same path. It was smooth and mellow, with very little bitterness or astringency. I was surprised, with the tannins I expected bitter or dryness. There may have been a hint of spice, but it was subtle enough that it could have been expectation as much as flavor. Mostly, it tasted like a gentle, slightly woody black tea. A small amount of honey rounded it out nicely, but didn’t change the character much. Flavor Notes: My initial hope was for a clove-forward tea, based on the faint scent when digging the roots. That didn’t come through in the cup. Instead, the flavor leaned toward a soft, “brown” profile. Somewhere between a nice black tea and a light twig decoction. There’s a mild warmth to it, possibly spiced (the spice was so faint it could have been my imagination), but nothing distinct or strong. It’s nice, and easy to drink, and not at all harsh, but also not especially memorable. Verdict: Will it brew? Yes. It was pleasant, but in my opinion, not worth the fiddle-faddle of digging, washing, washing again, slicing, drying, simmering… might as well grab a bag of Lipton’s instead. Best as: A mild, comforting tea if you already have the roots on hand, but not something to seek out specifically for brewing. Would I try again? Maybe I’ll try again in the fall, when the roots are likely to be stronger. In spring, this wasn’t worth the digging, washing, slicing, and drying for the result. Flavor Strength: Medium. Like a nice, mellow black tea more than an herbal decoction or tisane. Notes: This feels like a seasonal mismatch more than a failure. Maybe the plant likely has more to give later in the year. As it stands, it made a perfectly nice cup of tea, but one that could have been easily replaced with a simple bag of black tea, with far less time and effort. I’ve put a note on my calendar to try again before the first hard freeze. Caveat: The plant is high in tannins, especially as the season goes on. It takes a lot of roots to make a cup, so it’s easy to over harvest. If you eat the leaves, choose young ones in early spring and remember they are high in tannins too. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/25/800027772/community/will-it-brew-white-avens-root-geum-canadense/ Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/